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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Events outside the Capitol shape final days of session

As I write this, we have no way of knowing what the 2007 session of the Indiana General Assembly will mean for gambling, property tax relief or the biennial budget-the three overarching items looming over the heads of lawmakers as they entered their final week of deliberations. But that won’t prevent us from making a few pertinent observations about the context, and how that atmosphere was shaping events. Each legislative session possesses a flow of its own, based on incidents,…

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Emmis structure is good for city: CEO’s clout helps avert buyout

It’s easy to understand why investors are grumbling about Emmis Communications Corp. CEO Jeff Smulyan. The company’s stock has tumbled in recent years, and some of the ways Smulyan has been choosing to use the company’s capital look misguided. Last year, for instance, Wall Street booed when Emmis helped back Smulyan’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to buy the Washington Nationals baseball team. And, with the benefit of hindsight, the company in 2005 woefully overpaid when it spent $395 million to buy…

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Disease management proves less of a success: Indiana Medicaid quietly cuts savings estimate

In October 2005, Indiana’s Medicaid program touted that it could save the state $29 million a year through disease management, a program aimed at reducing the medical costs of patients with chronic illnesses. But now, those estimated savings quietly have been slashed more than 75 percent. And one critic of Indiana’s program says it is likely achieving even less in savings. The debate over the effectiveness of the Indiana Chronic Disease Management Program comes as the state moves to triple…

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NOTIONS: Twin standards of intolerance and mourning

By the time this column hits newsstands, I’ll be in Manhattan with my son Austin (the writer), who’s been accepted for admission to a university there. As we have at competing institutions in Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts and Chicago, we’ll sit through the dog-and-pony show, tour the campus, talk with financial aid and chat with professors and students. A few weeks ago, it was Austin’s twin brother Zach (the photographer) who went college shopping. The three of us and one of…

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MICKEY MAURER Commentary: An Indianapolis gem shines again

It’s no secret that my mentor is Gene B. Glick. I was privileged to work for Gene early in my career and learn the right way to be a success in business. For example, the ability to remain calm while reacting to the many calamities and adversities of a typical business life is one of the attributes of the Glick style that I admire most. I could have used more time at the feet of this master, but, luckily, school…

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Trio of women drivers drawing new fan attention to IRL:

Though she’s stirred a ripple of interest in several markets, most Indy Racing League fans don’t know Milka Duno-yet. Many sports business experts think the first Hispanic woman to race in the openwheel series will turn heads, as much for her ability to drive and her unusual professional and academic background as anything else. Duno also becomes part of a fascinating story involving established IRL drivers Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher. “The Indy Racing League is becoming the one place…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: State’s growth in incomes is still lagging the nation’s

It was 1980 when then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan asked audiences whether they were better off than four years earlier. It was smart politics-1980 was a recession year. But politics aside, it’s always a relevant question. For if the economy is not growing the pie that we all share, then those who manage it, not to mention those in political leadership roles, have cause for concern. But how do we answer such a question? With the due date for tax filings…

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BEHIND THE NEWS: It’s not just the big boys who’ll cash in on buyout

Sallie Mae isn’t even headquartered here. So you might figure the April 16 announcement that an investment group was buying the company for an eye-popping $25 billion would mean little for the 2,300 workers who toil at the student-loan company’s Fishers’ office. After all, the big paydays in these kinds of deals only go to the top brass, right? Not in this case. Reston, Va.-based Sallie Mae is one of those rare companies that doles out stock options to its…

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Indianapolis TV news market attains rare double honor: Local affiliates think hefty investment in investigative journalism will pay off with higher viewer ratings

For the first time, two Indianapolis television stations nabbed coveted Peabody Awards-among the highest honor given for TV productions worldwide-in the same year. WTHR-TV Channel 13 and WISH-TV Channel 8 were notified of their awards this month and will accept them June 4 at a ceremony in New York City. The Peabody certainly polishes the image of both stations, but it’s less clear how it will affect the bottom line of WISH or WTHR. The Peabody has been presented by…

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City buildings save money while gaining ‘Star’ status: EPA program gives tax breaks for energy efficiency

Thomson Inc. building, 10330 N. Meridian St. In 2006 alone, the EPA awarded more than 3,400 buildings nationwide with the Energy Star designation. Buildings can achieve the status by adopting an energy-management strategy and tracking the results during a 12-month period using an EPA rating system. Results need to be verified by a professional engineer. All Energy Star products qualify for a tax credit. A deduction of up to $1.80 a square foot is available to owners and designers of…

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SPORTS: Bad news no surprise in our ‘anything goes’ world

I considered the notion for a moment and conceded, “You may be right.” After all, shock-jock Imus had made a career of offering insensitive, crude and sometimes race-based insults (he once referred to New York Knicks’ star Patrick Ewing as a “knuckle-dragging moron”). But when he offered his unconscionable take on the women of the Rutgers University basketball team, his primary mistake was timing. His comments came at the wrong time in the media cycle. There was a vacuum, and…

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EYE ON THE PIE: A useful program for Indiana’s future

I could see she was mad when I walked in the coffee shop. State representative Roberta Righteous was adding packet after packet of sugar substitute to her extra large macho mocha. As I sat down with my cup of regular, she blurted, “Your column last week was another cruel attack on the General Assembly. All criticism, all sarcasm, but no constructive suggestions for progress.” “You want constructive ideas,” I said, “I’ll give you some. “First, Indiana abandons partisan redistricting. When…

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CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Why ‘profit’ is a sturdy word

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the simplest, most basic things. Like the value of profit in a capitalist society. In a week where I was hard pressed to find the time to write a column, my friend Roland Dorson submitted an unsolicited piece for our consideration. I’ve known the president of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to be a witty man with a clever way with words. Here, he deftly summarizes a notion to which I and IBJ…

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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Negotiating blitz to bring legislative session to close

For those who thought this had been a fairly boring session of the Indiana General Assembly to date, wake up from your deep slumber. Nap time is over. We’ve reached the point where the lowhanging fruit has been picked by lawmakers and passed on to the governor, and the heavy lifting remains. Lawmakers embark upon the conference committee stage of deliberations. To understand conference committee time, forget all your conceptions to date about the session and begin with a clean…

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Local international film fest growing by leaps and bounds: But still small potatoes compared with Heartland

The screen comes alive with the tale of a woman trying to track down her on-thelam husband even as she deals with her imprisoned brother and a grown son addicted to porn. The next night features a violence-packed trilogy of films about warring Asian gangs. Toto, we’re not at the Heartland Film Festival anymore. No, the 191 films set to be screened at the Indianapolis International Film Festival starting this month are grittier-helping it build a reputation for attracting a…

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SPORTS: No Indiana teams but plenty of Hoosier flavor

ATLANTA – At the Final Four last week, I was reminded that even without a team, Indiana was well represented. It began at the United States Basketball Writers Association breakfast on the Friday morning before the national semifinals. The occasion was the presentation of the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Trophy to the player of the year, which happened to be Kevin Durant from Texas. Robertson, the Crispus Attucks great who went on to star at the University of Cincinnati-and who was…

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INVESTING: Here’s where to find peace of mind in a risky world

I know risk is a four-letter word to many of you, and most investors prefer not to think about it at all. But it’s a favorite topic in our shop, and with the Iranian capture of 15 British sailors, the risk discussion here definitely stepped up. You have your pick of conspiracy theories over why Iran took the sailors, who were recently released. I read speculation that the capture was retaliation for an American capture of six Iranian Guards in…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Communications as usual just won’t cut it anymore

In 1999, when the World Wide Web was in its infancy, Rick Levine and others penned and posted “The Cluetrain Manifesto: The end of business as usual” (www.cluetrain.com). In this Web-focused document, their opening salvo at business as usual-and their wake-up call for American business- went thusly: “A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter-and getting smarter…

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Creative pursuit of happiness: Paintings give form to the ephemeral

For centuries, philosophers, writers and artists have attempted to define happiness. Aristotle spoke of happiness as “the meaning and purpose of life,” and the crafters of the Declaration of Independence affirmed our unalienable right to pursue it. For Indianapolis visual artist Chitra Ramanathan, happiness is a “universally encompassing entity possessing form on a mental level” yet indescribable in terms of physical characteristics. “You can never really capture it,” she said. “You can only express it.” Happiness is the common thread…

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MICKEY MAURER Commentary: He’s homeless but willing to work

For the last two years, I looked forward every morning to the walk west on Washington Street on the way to the Indiana Economic Development offices across the street from the Statehouse. The exercise was invigorating, and inevitably I encountered friends with whom I enjoyed brief conversations. It was fun to breathe in the sights and smells of a great city coming to life. At Illinois Street I marked the progress of the Conrad Hotel, a Kite development that aspires…

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